Convicted Illinois Sex Offender Ruled Sexually Violent

Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced today that an Adams County jury has found that Donald Pruett, a registered sex offender is a Sexually Violent Person (SVP).

Following the Adams County jury verdict, Circuit Court Judge Scott Larson ordered Pruett, 57, of Quincy, Ill., to remain in the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) for treatment. Pruett was returned to the IDHS SVP Treatment and Detention Facility in Rushville, Ill., pending a dispositional hearing in March 2018.

“Sex crimes against children are reprehensible. As a result of the defendant’s history of abusing children – particularly those left in his care – he should not be allowed to reenter society,” Madigan said.

Pruett has a history of sexually abusing children. In 2013, Pruett was convicted of aggravated sexual abuse of a child under the age of 13 and sentenced to four and a half years in prison for abusing a 9-year-old girl who lived in his neighborhood.

Additionally, Pruett was charged in 2002 with aggravated criminal sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a child for allegedly abusing a 4-year-old boy. During the investigation, law enforcement interviewed a girl who described being sexually abused by Pruett in 1999 when she was approximately six years old and was left in his care. Investigators also spoke with two adult sisters who described being sexually abused by Pruett when they were approximately ages six and eight.

Under the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act, Madigan’s office prosecutes cases seeking to commit offenders to the custody of IDHS. To be committed under the Act, a person must have been convicted of a sexually violent offense and suffer from a mental disorder. Prosecutors must also prove that the offender is likely to commit future acts of sexual violence if released from custody. Once committed to IDHS, offenders are re-evaluated on a regular basis to determine if they continue to meet the criteria for commitment as a sexually violent person.